The Aged in Vedic Society

Ravindra Kumar

Abstract
Ageing relates all of us in many different ways. It has
been culturally embedded at the centre of Indian Society.
We are familiar with the traditional wisdom attributed to
the Aged and the folk conviction that old age is the
apotheosis of all that is virtuous in life. The conventional
representations of old age as the most fulfilling stage of
life have been popular and have been propagated
repeatedly. A certain meaning is thus attributed to the
old age that keeps changing with the changes in the
social structure where it is located. Interestingly ethno-
history of Old Age and of the Aged as a socially
constituted entity does not emanate easily from our
enquiries into India’s past gerontology. Where we
succeed generally is in having only a broader and sparse
conception of ageing as a social process. Perhaps the
related data is not easily amenable to the processes and
tools of enquiry accessible usually to history/sociology
disciplines. One needs to go “beyond” the contours of
academic disciplines to access and comprehend social
practices associated with ageing as a distinct stage in
one’s life-span.

The Vedic period in India is rich in literature and there

does survive valuable archaeological-literary evidence.
An examination of the structure of Vedic society

1
provides interesting clues to the status of the Aged and
the role played by the Aged in Vedic times. This paper
examines the position of the Aged in Vedic society and
probes the framework of arrangements made by Vedic
society for Aged persons. It tries to come to grips with
ageing as a process, having ramifications both
individually and socially, in the Vedic literature. Equally
interesting has been the traditional portrayal of the Aged
as constituting an innate fund of long life-experience.
The paper also probes this aspect and tries to see how
the process of ageing affected society, family, and the
individual simultaneously.

Key Words
Jara : the act of becoming old
Roop : form, shape, grace, beauty
Vriddhavastha : old age
Yuvan : youthful, young
Puratan : ancient
Usha : the goddess of dawn
Sage-poets : the composers of Vedic hymns
Napat : grandson
Tatamaha : grand-father
Kulapa : father as the head of the family

2
Ageing relates all of us in many different ways. It has been
culturally embedded at the centre of Indian Society. We are
familiar with the traditional wisdom attributed to the Aged
and the folk conviction that old age is the apotheosis of all that
is virtuous in life. The conventional representations of old age
as the most fulfilling stage of life have been popular and have
been propagated repeatedly. A certain meaning is thus
attributed to the old age that keeps changing with the changes
in the social structure. Interestingly ethno-history of Old Age
and of the Aged as a socially constituted entity does not
emanate easily from our enquiries into India’s past
gerontology. Where we succeed generally is in having only a
broader and sparse conception of ageing as a social process
and aged as a meaningfully constituted social category. It
seems the related data is not easily amenable to the process
and tools of enquiry accessible usually to history/sociology
disciplines. One needs to go “beyond” the contours of
academic disciplines to access and comprehend social
practices associated with ageing.

3
The Vedic period in India is rich in literature and there does
survive valuable archaeological-literary evidence∗. An
examination of the structure of Vedic society may, therefore,
provide interesting clues to the status of the Aged and the role
played by the Aged in Vedic times. This paper addresses
ageing as an issue anchored in ancient Indian social structure
and scans Vedic literature, particularly Rig Veda, to elicit
information about the aged and the processes of ageing as
predicated in the poetical compositions of the sages and the
poets of the Vedic period. It tries to come to grips with ageing
as a process, having ramifications both, individually and
socially, in the Vedic literature and also tries to see how the
process of ageing affected society, family, and the individual
simultaneously.

The sage-poets of Rig Veda generally follow a binary

classification of society- the vibrant and vigorous youth
drawing numerous references to their physicality and
enfeebled, enervate old age persons referred to as members of
the family or located at the terminal of the lifespan of
mankind. In fact these sage-poets celebrate youth with
abandon and see all the objects in this universe as imbued

4
with roop, an attribute, which is mostly used as a definitional
term1. Indra, the principal Vedic god, possesses the attribute
of transmutation into whichever roop he desires2. Vayu
another Vedic god has similar attribute3. Som, the libation
made from the famous Soma plant and ritually offered and
consumed at the time of Vedic sacrifice has been described in
the manner of rising like the tidal waves of the ocean and
flowing in all the various roop of the universe4. Almost all
such references are an act of ovation of the youth, the
springtide of life. It is significant that all the various gods and
goddesses of Vedic literature are youthful and exquisitely
winsome. Indra has an unparalleled handsome bodily form,
vapuh chitratamam5. He adorns himself with ornaments, the
anji6. Agni and Surya, similarly, have youthful charming form
as they are vapushyaha7. Special mention in Rig Veda is made
of the youthful forms and the decorative physical features of
Ashvini and Marut brothers. The poets have reserved a special
term, valgu, to describe the splendor of the Ashvinis8. Maruts
are quintessentially youthful and all of them are of the same
age as no one is elder or younger to any other- they do not
undergo ageing. They are especially fond of ornaments. The
Rig Vedic expression for this is anjishu srakshu rukmeshu

5
khadishu, adorned with many ornaments9. Their favoured
ornament is rukm, a rounded embellishment made of gold and
worn on the chest10. The goddesses too are exuberant and
youthful. They are described as vapushi, of beautiful physical
form11. Usha is mentioned in the singular and also as many
Ushas. When they rise at the dawn, yat Ushasah shubhra
shubham charanti, it is not possible to distinguish between the
new and the old as all of them are identical in their physical
appearance12.

Old age, the binary other, is referred to as the destroyer of

roop and of the exuberant youth. The usual expression for old
age in Rig Veda is jara, meaning the act of wearing out13. Rig
Veda says nabho na roopam jarima minati, that old age
destroys human body in the same manner as the clouds cover
sun-rays14. The loss of physical strength during old age is very
clearly realized by the sages. In another context a losing dicer
is admonished by comparing him to an aged horse, of no value
to any buyer15. The onset of old age brings with it the decay in
physical form and attendant social problems. At one place, at
least, Rig Veda gives a hint that the aged svasura, the father-

6
in-law, when he ceases to exercise control over the family due
to his old age, passes under the control of his son’s wife16.

Rig Veda mentions longevity as the cherished goal of all

humanity. It declares jyok cha suryam drishe, the desire of the
poet to see sun everyday for a very long time17. It announces
jyok jeevantah prajaya sachemahi, the resolve of the king to
live for a very long time along with his subjects and many off-
springs18. It also declaims jeevantah bhadram jaranam
asheemahi, let us live a long, happy, and beneficial life and
thus attain ageing19. The norm set for a meaningful life by the
sage-poets is one hundred years. This longevity is further
qualified by declaring that it should be healthy and disease
free. Rig Veda expresses, in no uncertain terms, the human
desire to see at least hundred autumns, shataminnu sharado
anti deva20. In this desire for longevity, an interesting
comparison is drawn between nature and humanity.
Reference is made to Usha which is ever youthful inspite of
being quite old in age. Rig Veda says that Usha is purani
yuvatiha, such a young girl who by age is ancient21. Rig Veda
does not see any paradox in conjoining yuvati with puratan.
Usha belongs to nature. Nature has the unique property of

7
continually renewing itself; humanity, unlike nature,
experiences senescence, an inevitable process. There are
other gods too who carry this property of renewal – Agni and
Surya are described in Rig Veda as free from ageing. The
poets clearly know that, for humanity, escape from old age is
not possible. Therefore they earnestly aspire for a healthy,
disease free, splendorous long life and pray that the old age
should come towards the end of a fulfilling life.

Old age is also very closely related with family life in various
references available in Rig Veda. The home and by
metonymy the family itself is referred to by the term Kula.
The chief of this family is Kulapa literally meaning as house
protector22. The word Kula distinctly refers to a system of
individual families consisting of several members and headed
by the Kulapa, the father in all probability. Another word
used for father is Tata from which in the latter period is
derived Tatamaha denoting grandfather23. By connotation
grandfather is an aged person and also a respected elder in the
family as deduced from references in Rig Veda. There are
several references to the grandson as integral member of the
family bringing joy to the aged grandfather. The expressions

8
denoting grandchild are napat and pautra24. At least at one
place Rig Veda refers to pra-napat denoting great grandson25.
Subsequently, we also find a mention of pra-tatamaha, the
great grandfather26. This ardent desire of the Rig Vedic poets
for long life matches with references to the elderly, aged,
grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. In the patriarchal family
of the Rig Vedic time the grandmothers do not find any
mention.

The family originates at the time of marriage between young

bride and the groom. Generally these marriages are for life
and both bride and groom expressly desire that their
companionship must last long, until both of them reach old
age. The general word used for the couple is dampati, an
association of perpetual togetherness27. A vow announced by
the groom at the time of marriage says that the relationship is
for the entire life so that the two should attain old age together
and should have a fulfilling life by begetting sons and
grandsons of cheerful and playful disposition28. The elder,
aged members of the family, father and grandfather, are
treated with respect. At one place the Rig Vedic poet
welcomes Agni in his house and declares that his good advices

9
are as delightful as that of the old age people living in the
city29. At an other place the poet again says that his contact
with Agni is as soothing and pleasurable as is the contact of
the father for the son, sa nah pitev soonave30. It is believed
that one entire sukt in Rig Veda is attributed to Apala in which
she compares the bounty of her father with that of the fertile
land31. The elevated status of father in the family is regularly
mentioned in Rig Veda. Agni is compared with the father and
is venerable like him. Often Agni is directly addressed as the
father32. Indra is invoked by the poet for support in the same
manner as the son takes father’s support33. At another place
the worshipper expresses his desire to serve Agni in the same
manner as a son serves his father34. The generosity and bounty
of the mother and father is equated by the poet with the
bounty of mother earth and father sky, anu dyava prithivi
rodasi ubhe35. Mother is given a very special status in the
family. The sage-poets take cognizance of the fact that mother
holds the unique virtue of giving birth to a new life form and
equate her with nature and its characteristic ability to renew
itself, matarau punah punah navyasi kah36. It is noteworthy
that the rivers are referred to by Rig Vedic poets with great

10
reverence. They are mentioned as deveem aapam, mother like
waters which are nectar sweet, madhumadhiha arnobhiha37.

The process of ageing or senescence is mentioned in Rig Veda

in such a thoughtful form that it cannot escape our attention.
Nature, as has been described above, is repeatedly mentioned
as carrying the original attribute of unabated renewal, punah
punah jayamana purani38. In many ways the nature is amar,
immortal or imperishable. By contrast the mankind is
definitely perishable. Ever since the birth, humans continually
age and at the end of this process die and perish. Rig Veda
equates the process of human ageing with the goddess of
dawn, Usha and says that each rise of Usha and its day long
journey across sky signifies the decay of human life. The
expression used is martasya devi jarayanti aayuha, meaning
that these goddesses bring about a continual decay in the age
of the humans39. This very feature of senescence is
repeatedly mentioned by using other expressions such as,
praminati manushya yugani, limiting the time of the humans;
manushya yugani praminati, limiting the life span of the
humans40. The paradox of immortality of nature and the
mortality of the humans is beautifully described with

11
reference to Agni where the poet addresses the god as amrit
Agni and offers havi, oblation in the name of martasaha, the
mortal man41. Rig Veda further exemplifies this relationship
by declaring that the immortal Agni has been generated by the
mortal man, martyasaha amritam42. This immanent fact of
human ageing and the intrinsic newness of nature seem to
have given rise to the dual conception of human existence, an
immortal Atman, essence, and a perishable physical form.
The Rig Vedic poet invokes Adityas to ask for the bounty of
longevity, aayuha su tiretan43. The request, similarily, to Som
is to make the gradually approaching old age happy44.

It is significant that Rig Veda does not mention senility as a

symptom of old age. The desire for long and healthy life free
of diseases as expressed in the invocations and prayers to
Vedic gods does not gel with the concept of senility. It is only
later, in Atharva Veda, that the word visras occurs denoting
senility or decrepitude45.

Another interesting theme discussed in Rig Veda relates to the

process of rejuvenation or reversal of the process of ageing. It
is said that the Ashwanis the eternally youthful twin gods

12
reversed for the sage Chyavan the process of ageing and for
the old and aged sage the energetic youthful days were
returned46. In another similar reference Ghosha recalls the
Chyavan episode and invokes Ashwanis for the reversal of old
age in her own case47.

The organizational structure of Rig Vedic society refers to the

existence of Samiti an assembly of elders as an advisory body
to the king48. Clearly the Samiti was composed of the persons
who were ripe in age and by implication also wise.

The Rig Vedic desire for longevity and mental and physical
well-being throughout is best exemplified in the much qouted
Atharva Veda sukt: Pashyem sharadah shatam, Jeevem
sharadah shatam ,

13
 End Notes

∗
The Vedic literature is an abundant compilation of poetic compositions of the sage-poets of
the Vedic period generally divided into four major main books, viz. Rik/g, Yajuha, Sama &
Atharva Veda. Of these the Rig Veda is considered the original and the most ancient and it
is a compilation of Sukt, the hymns, each Sukt containing several Richas, the verses. The
current general consensus is that the compilation of Rig Veda was completed by 1400 B.C.
The subjects of the Sukt of Rig Veda are many- prayer, history, method of Yagna, eulogy,
agriculture, family, morality and community relations etc. The Rig Veda contains 1028
Suktas which are divided into ten sections, each section called a Mandala. Each Mandala
contains from 3 to 58 Richas. In referring to Rig Veda, therefore, we normally use a
numerical notation having three numerical figures separated by periods. Thus 1.71.10 refers
to the 10th Richa located in the 71st Sukt from the 1st Mandala. The same notation has been
followed in this paper to refer to the evidence from Rig Veda. It is also noteworthy that the
collection of the Sukt and Richas has been so beautifully organized that the original text has
by and large been retained during such a long period of time. The text of Rig Veda used in
this paper is the one edited by Archarya Vaidya Nath Shastri and published by Sarvadeshik
Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Maharashi Dayananda Bhawan, New Delhi, 1972.
1
Rig Veda, 1.47.18
2
ibid.
3
Rig Veda, 2.2.10
4
Rig Veda, 5.42.13
5
Rig Veda, 4.1.12
6
Rig Veda, 5.53.4
7
Rig Veda, 5.47.5
8
Rig Veda, 6.62.5 & 6.63.1
9
Rig Veda, 5.53.4
10
Rig Veda, 2.34.8, 5.55.1, 5.57.5
11
Rig Veda, 10.75.7
12
Rig Veda, 4.51.6
13
Rig Veda, 1.164.11 & 2.34.10
14
Rig Veda, 1.71.10
15
Rig Veda, 10.34.4
16
Rig Veda, 10.85.46; Also see R.C. Majumdar (ed.), The Vedic Age, Bharatiya Vidya
Bhawan, Bombay, p.361
17
Rig Veda, 7.66.16
18
Rig Veda, 1.23.21
19
Rig Veda, 1.136.6
20
Rig Veda, 1.89.9
21
Rig Veda, 3.54.7
22
Rig Veda, 10.179.2; Also see A.A. Macdonell & A.B. Keith, Vedic Index of Names and
Subjects, Vol.I, Motilal Banarasidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, Reprint 2007, p.171.
23
Atharva Veda, 5.24.17; Macdonell & Keith, I, 298.
24
Rig Veda, 10.10.1; Macdonell & Keith, I, 435
25
Rig Veda, 8.17.13
26
Macdonell & Keith, II, 29.
27
Rig Veda, 5.60.4
28
Rig Veda, 10.85.36
29
Rig Veda, 6.2.7
30
Rig Veda, 1.1.9
31
Rig Veda, 8.91.3
32
Rig Veda, 4.23.6
33
Rig Veda, 2.5.1
34
Rig Veda. 3.18.1
35
Rig Veda, 2.1.15

14
36
Rig Veda, 3.25.3
37
Rig Veda , 7.101.1
38
Rig Veda, 1.92.10
39
ibid.
40
Rig Veda, 1.92.11
41
Rig Veda, 5.4.10
42
Rig Veda, 3.1.18
43
Rig Veda, 8.18.22
44
Rig Veda, 10.59.4
45
Macdonell & Keith, II, 315
46
Rig Veda, 3.30.20
47
Rig Veda, 10.39.3
48
Rig Veda, 8.4.9

Bibliography

1. Macdonell, A.A. & Keith, A.B., Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, Vol.I, Motilal
Banarasidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, Reprint 2007.
2. Majumdar R.C., (ed.), The Vedic Age, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Bombay.
3. Monier - Williams, Monier, A Sanskrit English Dictionary, Marwah Publications, New
Delhi, Reprint, 1986.
4. Pandey, G.C., Vaidik Sanskriti, Lok Bharati, Allahabad, 2001.
5. Pandey Omprakash, Vaidik Sahitya Or Sanskriti ka Swaroop Tatha Vikas, Nag
Publishers, Delhi, 2005.
6. Rig Veda, edited by Archarya Vaidya Nath Shastri, Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha,
Maharashi Dayananda Bhawan, New Delhi, 1972.

15